The global Small Animal Surgery Program is purpose-built for working clinicians. Interactive online theory content and consolidating practical surgery sessions will advance your skills and knowledge, to better your patient care.
The Soft Tissue Year is Year One of the fully accredited GPCert SAS program. It is aimed at veterinarians interested in soft tissue surgery and also at those who want to to complete the Orthopaedic Surgery Year in 2026, for the full GPCert training.*
This intensive Soft Tissue Surgery year has been developed by a team of surgical specialists in an innovative learning format. The year-long program is made up of 13 modules of blended learning – with eight online monthly theory modules and concludes with 5 hands-on practical days.
Eight online theory modules focus on developing your knowledge of a range of soft tissue surgeries. Theory content is presented in an engaging online format on the Moodle learning platform. Each online module is supported by a registered European/UK Surgical Specialist – available online for questions, case discussion and to promote lively debate on interesting surgical topics!
Five practical workshop days consolidate your knowledge, working with Australian Specialist Surgeons to embed new skills, practice techniques and become fully confident in new surgical procedures.
Each practical wet lab has a day-long focus on the topics, including reconstructive skin surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, urological surgery and head, neck & thoracic surgeries.
You have the option of both flexible online study and hands-on experience, in a course built for busy working veterinarians, by veterinarians. SAS Soft Tissue Year provides the opportunity to work towards post-nominal qualifications, under guidance of world-class surgical specialists.
* SAS Year 1 (Soft Tissue) is currently available, with preference given to those enrolled in this program for Year 2 Orthopaedic Program in 2026.
Please be aware a minimum number of candidates are required for the Small Animal Surgery Program to be confirmed and run in Australia. If minimum candidate numbers are not met, candidates will be contacted to discuss options which will include undertaking Practical workshops outside of Australia.
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Approved by RACE
Module Tutor : Jonathan Bell BVM&S CertSAS DipECVS MRCVS
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Module Tutor: Guillaume Chanoit DEDV PhD DECVS DACVS FHEA FRCVS
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Module Tutor: Rachel Burrow BVetMed CertSAS CertVR DipECVS MRCVS RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Soft Tissue)
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Module Tutor: Speaker: Guillaume Chanoit DEDV PhD DECVS DACVS FHEA FRCVS
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Module Tutor : Kelly Blacklock BVM&S DipECVS FHEA PGCert MRCVS
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Module Tutor : Jane Ladlow MA VetMB CertSAS CertVR MRCVS
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Module Tutor : Kelly Blacklock BVM&S DipECVS FHEA PGCert MRCVS
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Module Tutor : Pieter Nelissen DVM CertSAS DipECVS MRCVS
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Jonathan qualified from the University of Edinburgh R(D)SVS in 1997. After four years in small animal first opinion practice he went to work at Croft Veterinary Referrals in the north east of England. While there he obtained his Certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2003 and completed his ECVS residency in 2007. He became an ECVS diplomate in 2009.
Guillaume received his Veterinary degree (DEDV) from the Veterinary School of Toulouse, France, in 1998. He subsequently trained and worked at the Veterinary School of Lyon, France and at North Carolina State University, USA. He is presently a Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery at the University of Bristol, School of Clinical Veterinary Sciences. He also serves as an Associate Editor (soft tissue surgery) for the Journal of Small Animal Practice and is a member of the Small Animal Examination Committee of the European College of Veterinary Surgery. Guillaume works as an academic surgeon and enjoys all aspects of soft tissue surgery. He particularly relishes the challenge of complex cases, such as cardiac operations, because of the potential long term benefit offered to the young animals affected with these conditions and also because of the multi-disciplinary approach these cases require. He likes working as part of a team and feels fortunate to work alongside other highly qualified specialists. Guillaume also enjoys the unusual cases that require ‘out of the box’ thinking and processes – and the adrenalin rush of having his carefully planned working day thrown out of the window because an emergency arrives. As a member of Bristol Heart Institute, he sometimes works alongside human surgeons, which he describes as a privilege. He aims to bring the best of what he learns from them to help his veterinary patients. A heavy metal fan in his younger days, he would listen to it while in theatre today if he wasn’t so worried about it scaring everybody else off. On reflection, he has decided that Herbie Hancock, Miles Davies and Gill Scott Heron are perhaps choices with a more general appeal. Guillaume describes his teaching style as visual, thought-provoking and engaging. He likes to respond quickly to delegate feedback and is keen that all delegates get the very best out of their time with him.
Dr Rachel Burrow qualified in 1991 from the RVC, London. After several years working in mixed practice, Dr Rachel Burrow returned to the RCV and completed a 3 year residency in soft tissue surgery. After this Rachel went back into practice for a few years and also spent some time at University College Dublin working as a soft tissue surgeon. Rachel completed RCVS certificates in Small Animal Surgery and Radiology before taking up a temporary soft tissue surgery lectureship at the University of Liverpool, that was over 19 years ago. Other than one year spent in a private referral practice, Rachel has remained working at the University of Liverpool where she teaches 4th and 5th year vet students alongside working in a busy soft tissue surgical referral service. Whilst at Liverpool Rachel has gained the European Diploma in Small Animal Surgery and a Masters in Clinical Oncology from Birmingham University . Despite being in the business for a long time Rachel is still not bored with surgery!
Jane is a Royal College and European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery. Over the last 15 years in addition to clinical work, she has focused on upper airway disease in dogs, particularly brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Whilst at the University of Cambridge, with Dr Nai-Chieh Liu, she devised a non-invasive method of assessing airway function and also introduced a clinical grading system for BOAS which is now available as The Kennel Club/ University of Cambridge Respiratory Function Grading (RFG) Scheme that was launched in 2019 to facilitate the breeding of healthy dogs in bulldogs, French bulldogs and pugs. The study also led to the validation of some new surgical techniques that had been introduced by Professor Oechtering (laser turbinectomy, laryngeal surgeries) for upper airway disease. Jane will be continuing the Cambridge research in 2021 by looking at some of the other brachycephalic breeds in addition to continuing clinical work at Hamilton Specialist Referrals.
Kelly graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2005 and after 18 months in small animal general practice, completed a rotating internship at the Royal Veterinary College and a three-year ECVS approved residency programme in Small Animal Surgery at the University of Bristol. Kelly joined the Animal Health Trust in 2011 and completed a PhD on the genetics of canine cancer metastasis in collaboration with the University of Liverpool. She joined the University of Edinburgh as a senior lecturer in soft tissue surgery in 2019 and is currently researching into canine oral melanoma and its translational applications. She is a member of the Association of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgeons (AVSTS), and an EBVS and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery. Her particular interests include minimally invasive surgery, trauma management and reconstructive/oncological surgery.
After graduating in Veterinary Medicine with honors at the University of Ghent in 2001, Dr. Pieter Nelissen completed his internship in Small Animal Surgery, which reinforced his interest in this field. In 2003 he joined a small animal private practice, where he worked as a surgeon for 3 years. Dr. Nelissen gained his RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Surgery during this period. In February 2007, he joined Dick White Referrals as an Intern, prior to commencing a three-year residency training in Small Animal Surgery in this institution. Dr. Nelissen was appointed as a consultant in small animal surgery in 2011 and he gained his diplomate status in 2012. Since then he has been working as a soft tissue surgeon and embraced a new role as a lecturer in several training programs, which consolidated his passion and skills as a continuing education speaker. At the beginning of 2018, after 10 years as an important member of DW Referrals surgical team and several important professional achievements, Pieter became the head of soft tissue surgery at the referral hospital, Tierklinik Haar, in Munich, Germany, position that he occupies currently. Pieter Nelissen is a world-renown speaker in the veterinary field. He has led several continuing education programs in Europe, the United States, and Japan with different CE providers. He is also a head speaker at Improve International, where he has held sessions on both certificate and advanced certificate courses. Dr. Nelissen has also produced impressive work in the field of veterinary investigation. He is author and co-author of several articles published in international peer-reviewed journals, with a particular interest in small animal surgery, and of many book chapters in this area. After 17 years of intensive experience in veterinary practice and educational programs, Pieter Nelissen is now one of the most proficient veterinary surgeons. His particular field of expertise is Soft Tissue Surgery, with a particular focus on wound management, thoracic surgery, and minimally invasive surgery.
Full Payment Upfront:
All prices are inclusive of compulsory 10% GST.
An initial deposit on booking will secure your place. The full balance of fees must be paid one month prior to the program start date.
If your enrolment is being submitted within one month of the program start date and you would like to discuss payment options, please contact the Improve team.
All prices are inclusive of compulsory 10% GST.
Payment plans may be available. A member of the Improve team will be in touch to discuss your individual requirements.
Please note that an administration fee applies for all payment plans.
All prices are inclusive of compulsory 10% GST.
Terms and Conditions apply to all bookings.
Please find the terms and conditions here.
It is recommended you have a minimum of 1 year clinical experience to register in the GPCert SAS programs.
Soft Tissue Surgery 2025 is Year 1 of the GPCertSAS, with the Orthopaedic Surgery 2026 being Year 2.
It is most beneficial to practitioners who have had some significant surgical experience and are in a busy clinical practice. Please contact the Improve Team directly if you wish to discuss your suitability.
With the online program format and week long practical sessions, the SAS Soft Tissue Year has been approved for 137 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognise RACE approval.
The SAS Soft Tissue Year starts online in February 2025 and the program is scheduled to run until December 2025. The final modules 9-13 are all practical modules and are held in a week long block at the end of the Program year.
You will spend on average 3-4 hours per week working through the module content. Preparation of assessments and revising for the final exam is additional depending on your route.
The content for this program will be available through the online learning platform Moodle.
At the beginning of each month, the content for the 3 weekly lessons and the case studies will be released for you to work through at your own pace throughout the month.
Progress of the completion of your module and program are tracked in different ways.
Each module consists of 9 interactive lessons including reflective study which may involve case studies, MCQ writing and calculation practice during week 4, depending on the specific module. The interactive lessons will track and remember your progress whilst you complete it. When you return to a specific lesson or case study, you will return to the page that you last visited.
Once a lesson is completed, a tick will appear next to the lesson icon on the module course page. You will also see a progress indicator at the top right-hand corner of the course page and a more detailed Progress Bar in the collapsible side menu on the left.
Upon completing all 9 lessons and the 2 case studies, you will be awarded a Digital Badge, recognising your achievement.
The SAS two year program has been accredited as a General Practitioner Cert Small Animal Surgery accredited program. The GPCert SAS qualification is achieved by completing an accredited training program, registering with the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies and completing their requirements for assessment, including final online examinations. Please see full details here.
Currently, the Soft Tissue Year is Year 1 of the accredited GPCert SAS training program for 2024/25, by the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies.
Here is a link to the ISVPS website https://www.isvps.org/p/au/examination/general-practitioner-certificate-in-small-animal-surgery/
Further information on the requirements of the GPCert SAS can be found here or on the page on our website here.
ISVPS communicates with all delegates in the program to provide the details of registration for the Certificate and communications on ISVPS assessments.
No, the full program to achieve the GPCert has a blended format.
The Soft Tissue Year has all theory modules online with the and the five full days of compulsory practical workshops.
This program completes the learning objectives of the GPCert SAS syllabus and is not intended to fully cover the ANZCVS Membership requirements. The program will provide a solid clinical and practical knowledge that will definitely benefit those undertaking further study in small animal surgery and a number of our program participants have used it for preparation.